Plan de l’article

Salons. Un éclairage sur la société par les revues savantes.

Boîte à outils

Boîte à outils

Résumés

Abstract

Culinary tourism is often a process of negotiation. This article explores the links between food production, place, and identity in the operation of bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) on Newfoundland’s west coast and the Labrador Straits. This area encompasses one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s major attractions, the Viking Trail. Due to the large number of tourists coming through and the relatively few restaurants in this area, some B&Bs offer evening meals as well as breakfast. Many offer local specialties, and almost all emphasize “home cooking.” Conversations around the dining table often concern the province and its culture, and provide B&B owners with an opportunity to perform local identities for their guests. Such presentations of self and place range from assertive refutations of the “Newfie” stereotype to semi-formal instruction. Proprietors may further frame the social aspects of the meal, and thus the performance as a whole, by assigning seating or moving guests through different spaces as the meal progresses. Through participant-observation and interviews with proprietors, this article concludes that these relatively informal social situations may facilitate significant intra- and intercultural exchanges. They enable communication that supports, personalizes, disrupts, and deconstructs both esoteric and exoteric grand narratives by utilizing a variety of strategies. These competing identities are shaped and maintained through formal and informal metaculinary discourse.

Parties annexes

Remerciements

I would like to recognize the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in funding the early stages of this research, as well as the Institute of Social and Economic Research and the J.R. Smallwood Foundation for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies at Memorial University. Deep thanks are also due to Diane Tye, Barbara Gravinese, Keagan Schopfer, and Peter Narváez, as well as fellow conferees at the 2010 meetings of the Folklore Studies Association of Canada/Association canadienne d’ethnologie et de folklore (FSAC/ACEF) and the Canadian Association of Food Studies (CAFS) who offered insightful comments on an earlier version of this work. The anonymous reviewers of this paper also made extremely helpful suggestions. Finally, I will always be indebted to the B&B hosts and fellow guests who so generously shared their experiences with me.

Note biographique

Holly Everett is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Folklore, cross-appointed with the School of Music, at Memorial University. A folklorist with specialties in belief, material culture, music, and popular culture, her research concerning food and tourism has also been published in Ethnologies and the Journal of American Folklore.